A skilled scientist specializing in genetic
engineering, Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva studied the possibilities of genetic animal
augmentation for the purpose of improving human attributes.However, as her research funding ran out—removing the possibilities of
test subjects—Dr. Minerva chose to use herself as one, and spliced cheetah DNA
into her own body.The resulting
experiment transformed her into a human / cheetah hybrid, providing her with the
best attributes of both species, but also with the physical appearance of a
humanoid cat.

Now ostracized from the scientific community,
Dr. Minerva must now acquire funding through less-than-legal means, such as
through theft and mercenary work, in order to continue her research.Now
known as the Cheetah in criminal circles, she utilizes her cat-like agility and reflexes, night vision, razor-sharp claws,
and a prehensile tail that can strangle prey in service to the highest bidder.However, despite her belief in her work, she is still insecure over her
transformation and resents the fact that society has deemed her a freak.

Cartoon
Network on Cheetah: "A feline femme fatale who is scratching
for a fight (courtesy of Cartoon Network press materials)."

Bruce
Timm on Cheetah:“We definitely
have the Cheetah.My Cheetah is a
really radical interpretation.She’s
not just a gal in a cat suit anymore; she’s half-woman / half-cheetah—a
biological fusion—and looks different from the original comic book version
(courtesy of Starlog Magazine).”

Mighty Isis on Cheetah:“Very interesting character—other than Luthor, she’s the only
Injustice Ganger whose past we get to briefly peer into.Half-woman, half-beast, her powers are what you would expect:she’s incredibly fast, she’s agile, she’s strong, and she scratches
things and people.It appears that
her heart isn’t completely into her new job as a criminal,
however—apparently she used to be a scientist—and she harbors a bit of
insecurity about her feral condition.

"She’s also
responsible for one of the most unexpected moments in 'Injustice for All,'
but any more detail would spoil the fun.Let’s
just say that she discovers some surprising common ground with a member of the
Justice League (courtesy of Toon Zone).”

DarkLantern on
Cheetah: “In Justice League
continuity, the Cheetah was a scientist that was working on a genetics
experiment for the betterment of humankind. She
was about to lose her funding, so she used herself as a test subject to prove
[that] her experiment was a success. And
there is a reason [why] she was ‘replaced’ by Tsukuri in 'Fury' (courtesy of Toon
Zone).”

DarkLantern
on Cheetah's fate: "It was implied that Cheetah was killed by Solomon
Grundy
behind-the-scenes [in
'Injustice for All'], except she shows up in the police paddy wagon
in the next-to-final scene (and surprisingly, the already-jailed Copperhead is
there too; courtesy of Toon
Zone).”

Bruce Timm
on Cheetah's fate:“Funny thing
about that—DarkLantern’s right.It
was a mistake—she was supposed to be dead—the implication being that
[Solomon] Grundy ‘[pulled] a Lenny’ on her [meaning that he petted her to
death; a reference to John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men].

“Well,
my co-producer James Tucker kept saying we should bring her back, [and] I kept
saying, ‘No, she’s dead, she has ceased to be, she is an ex-Cheetah,’ and,
lo and behold, someone pointed out that she was in the paddy wagon—all in one
piece, apparently still breathing—at the end of 'Injustice for All.'D’oh!

“So,
James got his wish:she’ll be back
in Justice League Unlimited.Don’t
know how she got away from Grundy, though (courtesy of Toon
Zone).”

A classic Wonder Woman adversary, the Cheetah has
opposed the Amazing Amazon in multiple forms since the Golden Age of comics and,
in a fashion similar to most characters thus far, the Cheetah of Justice
League is a combination of these previous incarnations.Historically speaking, there have been three female Cheetahs in DC
Comics’ history—Priscilla Rich (the Golden Age Cheetah),
Debbi Domaine (the Silver Age Cheetah),
and Barbara Ann Minerva (the Modern Cheetah)—and,
in her various incarnations, she’s been a wealthy debutante with a split
personality, an eco-terrorist, and a human / cheetah hybrid imbued with the
power of the African plant god Urzkartaga, respectively. Based
on Bruce Timm’s comments above, it is obvious that this version of the Cheetah
is based upon the modern version of the character (hence the use of Minerva's
name in the above bio) but, surprisingly, this character also derives part of
her visual appearance from the Golden Age version of the character, as this
version lacks the long hair of the Silver and Modern Age versions (this also
makes her resemble the Cheetah
from Challenge of the Superfriends, the version most familiar to the
public).

Eschewing the mystical origin from the comics,
this version utilizes a scientific origin that—either by accident or by
design—links the Cheetah thematically to the splicing story arc from Batman and Batman Beyond.Against this backdrop, it could be argued that the Cheetah was continuing
the research of Dr. Emile Dorian, the scientist and cat fancier from the Batman
episode "Tyger, Tyger" (an argument further validated considering the similarity
between the Cheetah and Selina Kyle’s transformation in that episode).In addition, her research may tie into the future dealings of Dr. Cuvier
and his Chimera Institute (from the Batman Beyond episode "Splicers"),
which may explain the presence of another
cat / human hybrid, Tigress, in that particular episode (coincidently, both
Tigress and Cheetah utilized similar animal noises during their fight scenes).Of course, it’s all conjecture—several parties during Cheetah’s
time period are known to be researching splicing at some level (Copperhead, the
Man-Bat, and the werewolf from the Batman episode "Moon of the Wolf" are all examples)—but the
thematic link is compelling, and likely to exist.

Originally meant to die by the hands of Solomon
Grundy in the original script for "Injustice for All," she was spared her
fate by way of an animation
error that clearly shows her, alive and breathing, in the police wagon at
the end of the episode, setting the stage for her return appearance in the Justice
League Unlimited episode "Kids' Stuff."As for how she
escaped, it is safe to say that Cheetah, who was conscious as she was dragged
away by Grundy, managed to escape with minimal injuries, only to be arrested
fleeing the scene by police (in fact, she might have turned herself in for
protection).In the end, I say that
this error is for the best, as we now have the potential for additional
appearances by a as-yet underused villain, and while she missed her chance to
continue her research for the Cadmus Project (replacing fellow hybridization
specialist Dr. Milo, who perished in "The Doomsday Sanction"), "I
Am Legion" revealed her presence as a member of the new Legion of Doom, which will make
frequent appearances throughout Season Five.